Dual head for applying closures to containers



M. A. LUTHER July 16, 1968 DUAL HEAD FOR APPLYING CLOSURES TO CONTAINERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 6. 1966 INVENTOR. 4/5415 ,4. Ayn/64 BY M,MMZJ% DUAL HEAD FOR APPLYING CLOSURES TO CONTAINERS Filed July 6. 1966 M. A. LUTHER July 16, 1968 4 Sheets$heet 2 INVENTOR. MERLE A. LUTHER BY awwqa-aeawm ATTORNEYS.

DUAL HEAD FOR APPLYING CLOSURES TO CONTAINERS Filed July 6. 1966 M. A. LUTHER July 16, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR 44 LUTHER BY mw- ATTOR/VE'Y5 DUAL HEAD FOR APPLYING CLOSURES TO CONTAINERS Filed July 6, 1966 M. A. LUTHER July 16, 1968 N 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 \wih ww on nw INVENTOR. 4/5945 4. LUTHER United States Patent 3,392,505 DUAL HEAD FOR APPLYING CLOSURES T0 CONTAINERS Merle A. Luther, Harmony, Pa., assignor to Horix Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed July 6, 1966, Ser. No. 563,164

12 Claims. (Cl. 53-307) This invention relates generally to the application of closures to containers and, more particularly, to apparatus for transferring from a dispensing chute to an opening in a container a closure that has a recessed bottom or some other bottom feature that is engaged by the member-removing it from the chute. 1

Some closures are provided with a recessed top, i.e., the recess is on the side of the closure remote from the opening in the container after the closure is applied thereto. Such closures can be readily. removed from a standard dispensing chute by a standard spud on a rotating crosshead and then, without being reoriented about a transverse axis, can be applied by the same spud to the container opening. The closures are initially oriented in the dispensing chute with their recessed tops facing the spud, so that the outer end of the spud, as it moves in an are around the axis of the crosshead, can enter the recess. Continued rotation of the crosshead then causes the leading edge of the spud to engage the sidewall of the recess and pluck the closure edgewise from the chute, usually against the urging of a retaining spring. The closure, While it is held on the end of the spud by suitable means, can then be applied tot he opening of a container moving in synchronization with the rotating crosshead. A similar procedure can be used whenever the closure has some other top configuration that is suitable for engagement by the spud in removing it from the dispenser. I

On the other hand, many closures have a top configuration that make it diflicult or impossible for the top to be engaged and held by a spud and such closures generally have a recessed bottom, or some other structural feature on their underside, that can be easily engaged by a spud. Although such closures can be plucked by their bottoms from a standard dispensing chute by a standard spud in the usual way, they must be reoriented about a transverse axis before they can be properly presented for application to a container with their bottom side facing the opening therein.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide means that will not only remove closures of thelatter type from a dispensing chute by engaging the bottom of the closure but also reorient the closure about a transverse axis so that it may be presented with its bottom side facing towards the opening of the container to which it is to be applied.

Another object is to provide additional means for orienting such closures about a longitudinal axis before applying them, where it is desired that a feature on the closure (such as a tiltable pouring spout, a hinged lid, etc.) be aligned in a certain Way relative to the container.

The foregoing and other objects will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention in connection with the attached drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a capping machine incorporating the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation, somewhat enlarged, of a portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a still further enlarged fragmentary view of the dual crossheads shown in FIG. 1, when they are in substantial radial opposition;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front elevation of a modified form of the invention for additionally orienting closures about a longitudinal axis; and

3,392,505 Patented July 16, 1968 FIG. 5 is a plan view of a portion of FIG. 4.

In general, the device of the present invention includes a transfer head and an inserter head adapted for synchronized rotation in the same plane. The transfer head is provided with a transfer spud for engaging the bottom of a closure held in a dispenser for removing the closure therefrom. At the same time, or shortly thereafter and while the bottom of the closure is still engaged by the transfer spud, the top of the same closure is engaged by an inserter spud mounted on the inserter head, so that the closure is held between the two spuds when they are in radial opposition. Further rotation of the heads disengages the closure from the transfer spud and leaves it supported by its top in the inserter spud. The latter then applies the closure to a container moving in synchronism with the inserter spud.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings, a conveyor transports from left to right (in FIG. 1) a series of spaced containers, such as a rectangular metal can 2 provided with an externally threaded spout 3. By conventional means, such as a common mechanical drive, not involved in the present invention, the containers are spaced from each other and moved by the conveyor in such a manner as to be exactly synchronized in both speed and position with the inserting spuds described below. A frame member 4, which can be raised and lowered by conventional means (not shown) to accommodate containers of various heights, supports a vertically extending chute 5, for dispensing metal seals 6 one at a time from its lower end. Each seal has a bottom recess 7, defined by a fiat top 8 and a sidewall 9, the latter having outwardly curled edges 10 forming a circumferential groove 11 (see FIG. 3). These seals are unthreaded and intended to be press fitted inside the can spouts 3, with threaded caps (not shown) screwed over them.

The chute 5 is of conventional construction and communicates with a conventional hopper (not shown) Rotata bly mounted below and to the left of the chute in FIG. 1 is a transfer head 15 adapted to rotate in a clockwise direction (looking at FIG. 1). It is provided with two diametrically opposed transfer spuds 16, which are adjustably held by set screws 17 :in radial sockets in the head. Each spud terminates in a shoe 18, with a toe 19 on the leading edge of the shoe. As the transfer head is rotated at a predetermined angular rate by means hereinafter described, the toe of each spud will enter the recess 7 in the bottom of the lowermost closure in the dispensing chute and there engage the lower portion of the sidewall 9 of the closure, thereby forcing the closure edgewise from the chute against the urging of a pair of retaining leaf springs 13. At substantially the same time, or a little later, the top 8 of the seal is engaged by one of two inserting spuds 21, which are similarly mounted on an inserter head 22. The latter head is rotatably supported on the opposite side of the dispensing chute from the transfer head and; at a slightly lower elevation. The inserter head rotates in the opposite direction from the transfer head, and the rotation of both is synchronized so that a spud on one head will be radially opposed to a spud on the other at each half revolution, as shown in FIG. 3.

Each of the inserting spuds 21 terminates in a closure holder 23 pivotally mounted on a pivot key 24 for rocking motion about an axis normal to the plane of the paper in FIGS. I and 3. The holder is normally disposed in the cocked position shown in FIG. 1 by a plunger 25, which is slidably received in the inserter head against the yielding pressure of a spring 26. As the heads rotate from the position shown in FIG. 1 to that shown in FIG. 3, one of the seals 6 will be removed from the dispensing chute and held between the two substantially radially opposed spuds 16 and 21. In this position, the holder 23 of spud 21 is no longer cocked but is disposed with its outer face 27 in a plane that is substantially normal to the radius of the inserter.

As shown .in FIGS. 1 and 3, spud 21 has two opposed arcuate flanges 30 extending outwardly from face 27. These flanges are separated by a distance that will permit them to enter the groove 11 formed by the curled edge of seal 6, thereby holding the seal against lateral movement on the face of spud 21. The seal is retained on that face by a permanent magnet 31 disposed in a central bore 32 in the spud. If the seal were non-magnetic, it could be held on spud 21 by conventional friction or vacuum retaining means. As the two heads continue to rotate in opposite directions from their positions in FIG. 3, the curved sole 33 on the end of spud 16 continues to engage the inside of the top 8 of the closure 6 while the toe 19 disengages from the seal. The seal rocks, in effect, on the foot of spud 16, until further rotation entirely disengages the spud 16 from the seal. The latter is then held on spud 21, which will have returned to the cocked position shown in FIG. 1.

When inserter head 22 has turned counterclockwise approximately 90 from the position shown in FIG. 3, it will be directly over the spout 3 of a can 2, and seal 6 will be inserted inside the spout and press fitted therein by the inserter spud, as spud and can move in unison through a mutually tangent position, shown in broken lines in FIG. 3. During the inserting operation, spud 21 is again forced into its uncocked position with its face 27 again normal to the radius of the inserter head. Further rotation of the head disengages the spud from the can spout, and the can moves on with a seal 6 firmly inserted in its spout.

The driving means for rotating heads 15 and 22 are shown in FIG. 2. The heads are mounted respectively on horizontal shafts 40 and 41, which are rotatable in pillow blocks 42 supported from frame member 4. One of these shafts, for example, shaft 41, is turned by a drive shaft 43 through helical gears 44 and 46. The drive shaft extends vertically and is supported in suitable hearings on frame member 4 and is driven by a motor (not shown). The rotation of shaft 41 is transmitted to shaft 40 through identical spur gears 47 and 48 to assure that the shafts will rotate at equal angular speeds and. in opposite directions. Drive shaft 43 has a keyway 49 for maintaining driving engagement with helical gear 44 when the entire transfer and inserting assembly is raised and lowered with frame 4 to accommodate containers of differing heights.

In the embodiment of the invention just described, the difference in elevation between shafts 40 and 41 provides clearance between the transfer spuds and the tops of containers moving into cap inserting position from the left (see FIG. 1). In addition, the provision of a pivoted holder element 23 on the end of each inserter spud 21 permits the gradual engagement of that spud with the top of the closure. This engagement begins at the lower edges of each element, thereby assuring better penetration of the flanges 30 into the groove 11 around the edge of the closure. In addition, the pivoted holder 23 permits the closure to be inserted in the opening of the container in a way that is least likely to cause deformation of the closure and consequent loss of sealing effect. With the holder element 23 in its cocked position as it approaches the container (which, of course, is moving to the right in FIG. 1), the leading edge of the closure will be slightly lower than the trailing edge, permitting the closure to be toed into the opening in the container spout. When the spud and spout are in their fully tangential positions, as shown in broken lines in FIG. 3, the holder element 23 is uncocked and the seal 3 is pressed uniformly around its edges into the spout opening.

A modified form of the invention is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, for handling a different type of closure that is to be additionally oriented about its longitudinal axis. An example of such a closure is a double cap 51 made of plastic material, which includes a generally tubular base 52 that fits tightly into the opening in the container (not shown) and a lid 53 that fits over the base and is hingedly connected thereto by a plastic loop 54. A tab 56 on the front of the lid can be engaged by a persons finger for lifting the lid from the base to dispense the contents of the container.

Closure 51 may be dispensed from a curved chute 57, in which the closures are oriented bottom side downwards when they reach the nearly horizontal bottom end of the chute. Closure 51, like closure 6 previously described, is provided with a recess 58 in its 'bottom that is adapted to be engaged by one of a pair of spuds 61 on a transfer head 62 for removing the closure from the chute. The transfer head is mounted on a rotatable horizontal shaft 63, and each spud is also rotatably mounted on ins 64 set into the ends of the head. The spuds are provided with beveled pinions 66, which are adapted to engage a fiat gear 67 rotatably supported on shaft 63. Relative rotation of pinion and gear about this shaft causes each spud to rotate about its longitudinal axis for the purpose of orienting the closure as explained below.

Each spud 61 terminates in a resilient pickup member 68, which may be made of rubber or similar material and may be in the form of a cylindrical boss adapted to enter the recess in the bottom of the closure at the end of the dispensing chute and frictionally engage the sides of that recess. Assuming that head 62 is rotated in a clockwise direction (looking at FIG. 4) and that gear 67 is rotated in the opposite direction, then pinions 66 will rotate in a counterclockwise direction when each is viewed from its end. When a closure is plucked out of the chute by one of the spuds 61 and frictionally held on the boss of that spud, it will rotate with the spud until the hinge loop 54 strikes a pin 71 set in the end of head 62 extending parallel to and to one side of spud 61. When the loop hits this pin, further rotation of the closure is prevented, but the closure continues to be held on the rotating boss for about a quarter revolution of the transfer head and is then transferred to an inserter spud 72 on an inserter head 73 mounted on a rotatable shaft 74 extending parallel to and at a slightly lower elevation than shaft 63. Inserter spuds 72 are similar in general structure to spuds 21 previously described in connection with FIGS. 1-3, except that, instead of magnetic means for retaining the closure on the spud, such retention is effected by frictional engagement between the top of closure 51 and springs 76 mounted on the side of the spud. The outer ends of these springs are bent inwardly and extend through notches 77 for gripping the top of the closure when the latter is received in a recess 78 in the outer end of each inserter spud 72. After the closure has been transferred to the inserter spud, it is held there for approximately a quarter turn of head 73 about its axis and is then applied in the manner previously described to the opening in the container (not shown).

Shafts 63 and 74, on which the transfer and inserter heads are respectively mounted, are driven in synchronism by the means previously described in connection with FIGS. 1-3. In addition, gear 67, which is rotatably mounted on shaft 63 (see FIG. 5), is connected to a sprocket 81 that is driven by a chain 82 from a larger sprocket 83 rigidly mounted on shaft 74 behind inserter head 73. Accordingly, gear 67 will rotate at a greater angular speed than heads 62 and 73, and pinions 66 will rotate still faster about their pins 64. This arrangement assures that a closure, after it is plucked from the dispenser chute 57 by the rotating boss 68 on the transfer spud, will turn at least one revolution (and, therefore, be sure to have its loop hinge 54 strike pin 71) and become properly oriented before the closure is transferred to the inserter spud. It will be obvious that the location of pin 71 is so chosen that the closure, when transferred to the inserter spud and applied by the latter to the container, will be properly oriented relative to the container.

Although the invention has been described herein in connection with specific forms of closures, it will be understood that it is equally applicable to closures of other types and shapes, provided the closure is engaged by the bottom for removing it from the dispenser and is engaged by its top for applying it to the container, that is, the closure is applied bottom-first to the opening in the container into which it is to be inserted.

It is among the advantages of the present invention that it provides relatively simple means for removing bottom-recessed and like closures from standard closuredispensing chutes and for applying them, properly oriented about a transverse axis, to an opening in a container. In-

addition, by providing a yieldably tiltable inserter spud for applying the closure to the container opening, such application will be attended with a minimum of closure deformation. Another advantage of the present invention is the provision of means for additionally orienting the closure about its longitudinal axis, so that some physical feature of the closure may be aligned relative to a physical feature of the container.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. A device for removing a closure from a dispenser and for applying it to a moving container, said device comprising rotatable transfer means adapted to engage a bottom portion of the closure for removing it from the dispenser, inserter means rotatable in synchronization with the transfer means and adapted to engage a top portion of the closure while its bottom portion is still engaged by the transfer means for transferring the closure from the transfer to the inserter means, and holding means for retaining the closure on the inserter means for presenting the closure to the container with the bottom of the closure facing away from the rotational axis of the inserter axis of the transfer means and the level of the opening in the container to which the closure is to be applied.

5. A device according to claim 1 for use with a closure having a recess in its bottom, in which the transfer means include radially extending spuds, and means on the spuds for engaging a sidewall of the recess to remove the closure edgewise from the dispenser.

6. A device according to claim 1, in which the inserter means include radially extending spuds, the outer end of each spud being pivoted about a transverse axis parallel to the rotational axis of the inserter means, and yieldable means urging the pivoted end of each spud into a tilted position with its leading edge, relative to the direction of its rotation, being more remote than its trailing edge from said rotational axis.

7. A device according to claim 1, in which the holding means include a permanent magnet for use with closures of paramagnetic material.

8. A device according to claim 1, in which the holding means include frictional means for engaging the side of the closure.

9. A device according to claim 1, in which the transfer means include a closure-engaging spud mounted on said means for rotation about an axis extending radially of said means, and in which drive means are provided for rotating the spud about said radial axis when the transfer means is rotated about its own rotational axis, thereby to rotate about its longitudinal axis a closure supported on the spud, and orienting means mounted on the transfer means and engageable with a laterally projecting feature of the closure for stopping rotation of the closure about its longitudinal axis when the closure has reached a predetermined orientation about that axis.

10. A device according to claim 9, in which the means for rotating the spud about said radial axis includes a pinion mounted on the spud and coaxial therewith and also include a rotatable drive gear engageable with the pinion.

11. A device according to claim 9, in which the drive means rotate the spud at least one complete revolution while the closure is supported thereon.

12. A device according to claim 9, in which the inserter means include radially extending spuds, the outer end of each spud being pivoted about a transverse axis parallel to the rotational axis of the inserter means, and yieldable means urging the pivoted end of each spud into a tilted position with its leading edge, relative to the direction of its rotation, being more remote than its trailing edge from said rotational axis.

TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR REMOVING A CLOSURE FROM A DISPENSER AND FOR APPLYING IT TO A MOVING CONTAINER, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING ROTATABLE TRANSFER MEANS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A BOTTOM PORTION OF THE CLOSURE FOR REMOVING IT FROM THE DISPENSER, INSERTER MEANS ROTATABLE IN SYNCHRONIZATION WITH THE TRANSFER MEANS AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A TOP PORTION OF THE CLOSURE WHILE ITS BOTTOM PORTION IS STILL ENGAGED BY THE TRANSFER MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING THE CLOSURE FROM THE TRANSFER TO THE INSERTER MEANS, AND HOLDING MEANS FOR RETAINING THE CLOSURE ON THE INSERTER MEANS FOR PRESENTING THE CLOSURE TO THE CONTAINER WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE CLOSURE FACING AWAY FROM THE ROTATIONAL AXIS OF THE INSERTER MEANS. 